Fruit-processing machine.



J'. WILKIB. y FRUIT PROCESSING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULYYZO. 1908.

910,336. I Patemmmlawos.

Uhh!!! lUivrrnn srsrns i JOHN WILKIEfF YUB-A CITY, CLIFOR'EA.

FRUIT-PROCESSING MACHINE.

Specication'of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan.- 19, 1909.

. Application inea Jury 2o, 190s. serial no. 444,387.

To cllwhom it mcy concern:

Be 1t known that I, JOHN WILKIE, citizen of the United States, residing at Yuba City,

' 'finithe vcountyof Sutter and State of Califorfnia, have invented'new and useful Improvements in Fruit-.Processing Machines, of which .v ytlae following. is a specification.

'prunes and the like 'technically known as "processing".

iIt consists in the combination with a revovluble and. partially submerged cylinder, of -means .for continuously delivering the fruit to be processed into the interior ofthe cylinder i where it is submerged in theprocessing liquid, and means by which the fruit is directed linto chutes carried by the cylinder, said chutes serving to raise the fruit and discharge it continuously from the opposite side of the cylinder.

My invention comprises combinations of `parte, and details of. construction, which will f e more fully explained by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which- Y Figurel-is a vertical section transverse to the axis. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view.

Forithe purpose of preparing fruit for drying and for other purposes, especially such rfruit as prune plums, it is desirable to soft-en and cut the skins of the prune plums by the ap lication of a strong alkaline liquid, such as ye, into which the fruit is submerged, and from'which it is afterwards lifted, washed and prepared for drying. Inorder to carry out a process of this kind economically and continuously, .I have shown a trough or rece tacle A of any desired size and ot material at a ted to contain the lye. H on the sides of t is troughare fixed journalox supports 2 and 8. The sup ort 2 is preferably made of arched or equiva entform, extendingsome distance above the edge of the box and allowing suflicient space between its legs vfor the installing of alchute 4. This chute may be bolted or otherwise attached to the edge of the box, and has asuicient inclination and convergence so that fruit placed in the chutef will pass down the incline and be delivered extend diagonally and outwardly from the j collar. The outer ends of these arms serve i I to' partially support troughs 8 'which' are fixed g within the' eriphery ot a perforated drain 9. l The ends o the'drum are in the formotannu i lar rims 10 iitting the'edges'o the peripheral I and perforated ortions, 'andiextending'inl wardly a short distance, as: shown. The' inlet trough or chute 4 lextends over'the inner edge of one of these annular rims, )and its disl charge end projects into "the drum. 'This 1 construction with the inclined diver-ging i arms 6 allows the end of the chute to thus enj ter the ,drum and the latter to be revolved withoutfany contact or interference of the i drum or its attachments with the chute.

the inner surfaceoi' the perforated eriphery of the drum to near` the centerol the side i0. posite that on which the .leed isilceatedl Tliese Atroughs are shown as having their inner edges tangent to the hub or collar 7 upon that side of' the drum. These troughs converge or taper, and the inner edges are curved over in'such a manner, that as the drum is revolved, anything delivered into the outer ends of these troughs or chutes will, as the drum revolves, be carried upwardly until the angle of the chute becomes such that the contents'will slide outwardly ofthe chutes at a point just above the hori- AZontal line of the shaft and a little to one side thereof. At this point a discharge chute 11 is fixed to the side of the trough, inclining outwardly and having its upper end so located that anything discharged frornthe chutes 8 will be delivered into this any desired receptacle.

Inordertc properly agitate the material which is supplied to the drum, the latter is rotated'so that its lower portion is continually submergedV in the liquid contained in drum Will thus be subjected to the action oi the liquid.

On the side ofthe drum contiguous'to the supply' chute Aare a 'series ci' diagonally placed wings 12. These wings are fixed around the'interior periphery oi' the drum, the outer ends lying substantially against the rim l() on the feed'side. The opposite across the drum periphery until they terminate at points so related to the chutes 8 thatv The troughs 8 are made to extend from and be delivered vvfrom theconvergent tips discharge chute and carried ofi thereby to the tank A, and the fruit delivered into the.

ends o1n the wings are carried diagonallyV the fruit which has been delivered into thereceiving side of the drum will be caught by i these during the drums revolution, and moved transverselyV across the drum to such points that when the inner ends of the vwings have passed, they will have forced this fruit to such .a point that it Will be taken up by the interior revolving chutes 8' and lifted and disposed of as previously described. The arrangement of the wings and the chutes withrelationV to each other is 10 such that the wings slightly overlap the contiguous sides of the chutes, which are so cut away as to allow the fruit to be discharged'int'o the chutesljigzab vAny suitable or desiredi means for re-A volving the drum may be employed,such

asbelt pulleys 13 and 14 and'abelt extending between them, pulley 13 being mounted upon the drum shaft, and 14 upon a countershaft journaled upon the end of the tank and provided with a crank 15by which it may be revolved, and power transmitted through the belt 16,to revolve the drum.

The apparatus as thus constructed is an efficient labor-saving means for applying the desired treatment tothe fruit.

As the-dip liquid must be kept at -or nearl 30 heating means not shown.

A removable cover or housing 20 is so fitted as to inclose the working parts, and thus retain the heat.

Having thus described 'my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. An apparatus for processing fruit, said apparatus including a liquid containing tank, a horizontally-journaled drum, means 40 for revolving the drum with li-ts lower pe riphery submerged in the liquid, means for discharging the fruit into the interior of the drum, diagonallyf disposed wings carried in the drum periphery, chutes extending from the vinterior of the drum to points contiguous to the center and at one side of the drum, the receiving sides of the chutes overlapping the inner ends of. the wings, means for delivel-.ing fruit into the interior of the drum,

and means for receiving and discharging the fruit from the opposite side thereof.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, av liquid-containing tank, a horizontally-journaled drum having its lower '55, side submerged in the tank, said .drum having annular rims and a perforated periphery,

chutes extending from thefinterior of the drum periphery to pointscontiguous to the center and at one side of the drum, diagonally disposed wings lfixed in the interior of the drumhaving'their inner ends overlaping the receiving sides of the chutes, means y or directing the fruit to 4be treated into the drum' to be acted upon by the wings, and

means for carrying away the fruit which is discharged through the opposite side of the drum from the chutes. 1

3. In an apparatus of the character described, a horizon-tally-journaled revoluble drum, a tankin which its lower portion is submerged, means for supplying fruit to the interior of the drum, and` guides located within the drum whereby the fruit is advanced in successive stages from the inlet to the discharge end, said guides comprising members extending from the interior of the drum periphery to points contiguous to the center and at one side of the drum, and other members fixed to the drum having their inner ends overlapping the receiving poi'- tions of the first-named members.

'4. In an apparatus of the character described, a horizontally-journaled revoluble drum, a tank in which its lower portion is submerged, means for si' pplying frtit at one 85 end of the drini, and wings andv chutes, lo cated Within the drum, and so disposed with relation to each other that the inner ends of one overlaps -the receiving portion of the other to advance the fruit from the receiving end, deliver it into the chutes and iinaily discharge it from the op *osito end.

5. In an apparatus o the character de scribed, a horizontally revoluble drum, a tank in which its lower portion is submerged, journal-boxes for ythe drum shaft, one of said boxes having divergent supports, an inclined feed chute extending etween said sup orts into the end of the drum, diago? na y disposed wings xed within the re- .109 ceivin end of the drum, convergent chutes exten ing from near the center and pe riphery ofthe drum to the discharge end,and diagonally divergent spider arms extending from the shaft and supporting the chutes.

In testimony whereof I haye hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN "VILKIE.

its

Witnesses:

S. J. STABLER, i A. C. MCLAUGHLIN. 

